One immigration advocacy group is targeting Republicans with new ads that make a direct link between mass deportations and the programs that could be cut to pay for them.
The six-figure campaign from America’s Voice, shared with NOTUS ahead of its release on Tuesday, will air in 22 House districts. It emphasizes the high cost of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies — not to immigrants themselves, but to U.S. voters who could lose Medicaid benefits and other government aid while the administration spends billions at the border.
“Programs are going to have deep cuts to be able to give [Trump] the money that he wants to expand detention camps, to expand the detentions and deportations, and that is a cost that’s going to affect all families, not just immigrant families,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, told NOTUS. “The money has to come from somewhere.”
The districts targeted with the ad buy include many front liners expected to have competitive elections, including Reps. Juan Ciscomani, Derrick Van Orden and Mike Lawler. The campaign also includes districts along the U.S.-Mexico border, where both immigration and cuts to Medicaid draw high interest, like in Reps. Tony Gonzales and Monica De La Cruz’s districts. Right now America’s Voice is leading the ad campaign, but Cárdenas said the group expects partners to join.
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As Republicans tee up budget legislation this week, there’s been widespread concern over how the party will pay for the tax cuts they’re seeking to extend. Last week, Republicans scrambled to find potential cuts, but many remain skeptical that their plan will work without touching Medicaid — or at least changing its coverage and eligibility.
“Out of all the absurd lies the Democrat Party has been spewing the past few weeks, this one might take the cake. It’s clear there is no basis behind their ridiculous claims,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement. “Democrats are resorting to shameless fearmongering to hide the fact that every single House Democrat just voted to raise taxes on hard working Americans.”
Marinella pointed to an NRCC memo from last week that said Democrats’ messaging on Medicaid amounted to “pathetic fear-mongering.”
The budget cuts required to please GOP hard-liners run up against the rising cost of housing and deporting migrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already experiencing a budget shortfall and its detention facilities are at capacity.
“It’s really important for people to understand that they are diverting important resources from our government to go after hard working people,” Cárdenas said. “This is an effort to really shine the spotlight on the fact that this campaign, this request for a blank check, is really going to affect folks across the board.”
The video ad includes photos of Republican figures like Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Chip Roy and Ted Cruz, along with images of arrests and detention facilities.
“Donald Trump and his MAGA allies in Congress are slashing Medicaid and food assistance to fund mass deportations that separate families, devastate industries and drive up prices for all Americans,” the ad says. “Tell Congress: Don’t cut Medicaid to fund family separation.”
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Casey Murray is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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